Malone Center of Theology & Ministry designed to fill education gap

Once upon a time, universities and churches shared a common goal that Christians become more learned about their faith. Today, the two entities rarely cross paths. Theologian Bryan Hollon is working to change the dynamic. He's the founding director of Malone University's new Center for Theology & Ministry.

Once upon a time, universities and churches shared a common goal that Christians become more learned about their faith.

Today, the two entities rarely cross paths. Theologian Bryan Hollon is working to change the dynamic. He's the founding director of Malone University's new Center for Theology & Ministry.

"It's something I've been thinking about as long as I've been at Malone," he said.

Hollon said he wants the center to help dispel the notion that theology is the exclusive domain of academia, and that in addition to educating Christians, the purpose of the Center for Theology & Ministry is to build "more substantive" community relationships."

"Any time you think about God, it's theology," he said. "How can you worship God if you don't know God? Part of theology is to help people know God more truly; to help them worship better."

"An effort is being made to bring more people into the experience of the kind of academic programming we have here," Hollon said. "To let the intellectual life of the university spill out into the community."

Renea Brathwaite, an associate theology professor, said the goal is to help people think deeper and more logically about faith. On Thursday, Brathwaite will present "Holy Fire: Constructing a Coherent Theology of the Holy Spirit for the 21st Century," at 6:30 p.m. in Room 106 at the university's Johnson Center.

FEAR AND DISTASTE

"We want them to engage more fully to see the benefits of (curricula)," he said. "It will transform their lives."

Brathwaite said too many Christians embrace "folk theology," that is, they embrace certain beliefs passed down from others, because they don't know church history.

"Theology is an ancient discipline," he said. "There are ways to do theology well."

Hollon noted that as issues regarding religion and science become more prevalent, biblical illiteracy has risen, causing "partisanship and gullibility."

"No central institution has done a good job in elevating the (church) culture," he said. "In order to have an intellectual culture that helps churches, you have to have institutions."

Brathwaite said that because education has succeeded in making history dull, there's a "fear and distaste" for it, and as a result, many American Christians have little interest or knowledge about the ancient church.

"There are people who believe that everything started with the (Protestant) Reformation," he said. "Clearly, this is not the case."

Hollon added that he rarely encounters theology students who have a deep knowledge about the medieval Catholic Church and the Reformation, a movement led by Martin Luther, which fostered Protestantism in 1517.

Page 2 of 3 - "I've even had students who had a disconnect from the Reformation," he said.

LIFE-CHANGING

Hollon said he became interested in theology while taking a course at Baylor.

"I grew up in a nominally Christian home," he said. "It just fascinated me. It caused me to convert."

Hollon said the theology class set his life's course.

"I wanted to help people like myself who had never heard how compelling the story of Christianity is," he said.

Hollon cites the late Cardinal Henri deLubac as one of his influences. Though deLubac's books were banned in the 1950s, the French Jesuit's calls for reform contributed to the formation of the Second Vatican Council.

"He was accused of promoting a new theology, but it really was an embrace of Augustinian theology," Hollon said.

Brathwaite said St. Symeon the New Theologian is one of his biggest influences. Symeon was a 10th-century Palestinian monk who called for a more robust theology and an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Brathwaite also named the Rev. William Seymour, who spearheaded the famed "Azusa Street Revival" in Los Angeles in 1906, which spread across the world and started the Pentecostal movement.

"He's not a theologian, but I find in him this incredible mixture of sublime thought mixed with a deep piety that I have not found in a lot of places," Brathwaite said. "He talks about the Holy Spirit as a power for transformation."

Hollon and Brathwaite said too many ministries equate popularity with success, and that entertainment has taken precedence over teaching.

"The emphasis is not so much who you are, but what you do," Brathwaite said. "A lot of the preaching is not formational; it doesn't challenge people. There's not a sense of the deep work that needs to happen in a person's heart ... places like Malone can offer resources to enhance people's learning."

Hollon said the decline of mainline denominations is one factor for the gap in Christians' knowledge.

"They established institutions and seminaries and universities," he said of the mainliners. "The more they declined, the more fringe, less-educated churches grew, but they never put institutions in place. As a result, there's a lack of the kind of church institutions which once kept Christians connected to their history."

The professors said theology also can help dispel errors about Christianity's roots.

"When we think 'first Christians,' we think 'white,' " Hollon said. "But the church was born in Palestine. Some of the first, great defenders of the faith were from North Africa. The history of the church that we learned in school was that it began as a small sect in Western Europe. The church in Europe was important and influential, but they weren't the only thinkers."

Page 3 of 3 - "Part of the issue is people hold onto half truths," Brathwaite said. "I see students who have a fear of having doubts or questions, but questions lead to God and truth. Truth will stand."

A native of Barbados, Brathwaite said he became a Christian at 16 but that his conversion lit a fire of curiosity within that irked some adults.

"The more questions I asked about God and the Bible, the more irritated people became," he recalled, laughing.

Brathwaite said he was equally annoyed with people who downplayed the need for religious education.

"I was told 'certificates are not spiritual,' as if a person can't be intelligent and spiritual at the same time," he said. "I realized we had a problem with a spirituality that says 'You can be a Christian, but check your brains at the door.' "